OROVILLE -- Rosy-cheeked and smiling, more than 350 children walked, ran, jogged and rode kick scooters in circles early Friday morning at Oakdale Heights School.

It was quite a workout, first for the third annual Walk to School event, and then for a walk-a-thon around the playground.

The school holds the Walk to School event through the Butte County Department of Public Health. UC Cooperative Extension representatives hosted the walk-a-thon.

Oakdale Principal Rick Desimone said the walk-a-thon is part of a program to promote nutrition, exercise and healthy living.

The Walk to School event is tied in to an upcoming construction project funded through a $941,000 federal grant to make walking and riding bicycles to and from school safer.

That project will begin this summer and will provide sidewalks, curbs, gutters, curb ramps, speed bumps and electronic signs along Las Plumas Avenue.

Teacher Elisa Huru said safety is an issue in the neighborhood, with drivers speeding, a lack of crosswalks in appropriate locations, and stretches between Oakdale and Las Plumas High School that don't have sidewalks.

It was barely light out as two small groups of children and a few adults began the trek before school from Las Plumas High School to Oakdale School.

The walk was partially on sidewalks and through wet, muddy ground.

For the most part, the youngsters walked carefully.

Once they reached Oakdale Heights, a teacher handed out stickers to all the children.

Then it was on to the playground to keep moving.

At first, only a few children were out on the playground, walking and jogging to upbeat music around cones stretched across the asphalt.

Around and around they went, some seemingly racing their peers at times.

As the 8 a.m. hour approached, the crowd thickened until eventually the entire student body joined the circle.

Many of the children walked, but most ran at least some of the laps. Some students held their parents' hands, and a couple of children pushed kick scooters.

UC Cooperative Extension representative Marisol Andrade, Mary Ann Mills and other adults marked badges each time a student ended a lap and began another.

Around and around they went.

Andrade later explained that the class that got the most marks at the end of the walk-a-thon would get to keep a golden shoe.

She said they do special events such as the walk-a-thon once a month to encourage the students to do physical activities. The golden shoe gets passed around from class to class each month.

As the walk-a-thon continued, the children's faces glowed from the activity and one teacher remarked she could feel the children's hearts pumping when she marked their badges.

Even the principal joined the fun. He didn't run, but he did take some lively steps as he circled around the track several times, chatting with students and parents.

Like the kids, Desimone was grinning.

"This is one of the activities we do that really builds school community," Desimone said. "We've got kindergarten through sixth out here, and parents, teachers, everybody. They're not only having fun, they're getting healthy."

Staff writer Barbara Arrigoni can be reached at 533-3136, barrigoni@orovillemr.com, or on Twitter @OMRBarbara.